Category Archives: Uncategorized

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

NO FOOLIN

We may just be getting over April Fools’ Day, but when it comes to our workplace, there’s no room for foolin’ around!  Everyone likes to have a little fun during the workday, but it just is not the place for practical jokes.

There’s always one person who loves to devise schemes to get laughs, but usually it is at the expense of someone else.  Jokesters can be a safety hazard at work.  Things can easily get out of control, with someone getting injured, maybe even seriously.  Some practical jokers pull stunts on others that are very dangerous.  Workers can’t concentrate on their job because they are always bracing for the next trick that is going to be played.

Companies should have policies that address hazing, harassment, and horseplay.  They need to instruct employees that these behaviors are unacceptable.  Posters and materials can be used to communicate such policies.  Every work place should have the T.E.A.M. mantra:  Together Everyone Accomplishes More.

Young or new employees should never have tricks played on them; they already have enough pressure just trying to become used to their job duties.  Also, employees shouldn’t be startled or distracted while they are working.  With job loss as high as it is at this time, we all should be working as hard as possible to keep our occupations intact.

According to Texas Workers Compensation Defense Law:
An employee is not covered if injured while intoxicated at the workplace, if injured by another person for personal reasons not related to the job, or if his or her injuries are self-inflicted. An employee also will not be covered if injured during “horseplay” with another employee.

If you are aware that someone is behaving in ways that are unsafe:

  • Take the person aside and explain that you are not comfortable with their conduct.
  • Remind the person that their victims are humiliated, embarrassed, and distrustful of others, and how would he/she feel if they were in their place.
  • Report unsafe or unprofessional behavior to your supervisor.

Remember, you can enjoy work without hurting others, either physically and/or emotionally.

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

APRIL FOOL?

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On April 1st, do you plan to be the trickster or the tricked?  At one time or another, we’ve probably all been the victims of mostly innocent pranks, at school, or our place of work.

It’s all in fun, and can’t be too bad for only one day.  So make the most of your first day of the month of April.

There are also many serious days in April: the 5th, which is Palm Sunday; 9th, observance of Passover; 10th – Good Friday, and April 12th is Easter Sunday.

A day most U.S. Citizens dread, (that’s no joke), is April 15th – the deadline for income tax filing!  April 22 is Earth Day and also Administrative Professionals Day.

Focusing on health, the month of April is Cancer Control Month, time set aside to renew our commitment to fight cancer by knowing more about prevention and early detection.  April is also Alcohol Awareness Month, to focus on alcoholism and alcohol-related issues by raising public awareness and educating people about the devastating effects alcohol can have on our youth, individuals, and families.  April is also Foot Health Awareness Month.  We will talk about these important issues in future installments.

Whatever you do, or don’t do, just be glad that April is the beginning of warm weather and there are lots of fun things to do, as well as the start of more comfortable working conditions for those who work outdoors.  Enjoy your days, play safe, and stay safe!

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

NEW SAFETY ACCESSORY FOR CARS

Each April, the automotive industry reminds consumers of the importance of car care and driver safety. According to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), 80 percent of all crashes and 65 percent of all near-crashes involved the driver looking away from the forward roadway, such as retrieving a cell phone from the gap between the driver seat and console, just prior to (within three seconds) the onset of the event.

This statistic is a grave reminder that consumers still have much more to learn and is the reason Drop Stop, LLC developed and is launching Drop Stop®, a new car interior safety and convenience accessory designed to guard the gap between the seat and console and help keep drivers eyes on the road.  Drop Stop® provides a safer, more convenient driving experience. It eliminates the distraction and potential danger that exists when personal articles slip through a vehicle’s seat/console gap, causing the common knee-jerk reaction of taking one’s eyes off the road.  This handy item simply slips between the console and drivers seat and prevents hard to retrieve items from falling beneath the seat, especially when driving down the road.

Drivers need to exercise extreme caution when using their cell phones while driving.  How many of us have had our cell phones, billfolds, etc. fall between the seat and console?  It is so easy to become distracted during a call, and texting should be an absolute “no-no”.  Anything that helps to ensure our safety and the safety of those we meet on the road is a treasure.
For more details, go to www.BuyDropStop.com.

Just wish I’d thought of it!
Source:  Renee Cooper, Account Executive
Christie Communications

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

WALK 50 MILES PER MONTH

Make this your goal:  to walk 50 miles per month.  This great information from the AARP Bulletin gives these excellent reasons to promise yourself that you will walk 50 miles per month:

1.    Get fit:  Aerobic capacity: 19% increase; physical function: 25% increase, and risk of disability: 41% decrease.

2.    Save on annual medical bills.  Normal-weight retiree: $3,300, Overweight retiree: $2,500 and entire country: $1.4 trillion.

3.    Improve cardiovascular health.  Heart disease: 32% lower risk; Stroke: 33% lower risk, Type 2 Diabetes: 71% lower risk.

4.    Fight cancer. Breast: 18% lower risk; Colon: 31% lower risk; All forms: 33% higher survival rate.

5.    Lose weight.  Each walk: 150 calories; Monthly: 1.3 pounds; Annually: 15.6 pounds.

6.    Accelerate recovery.  Depression: 47% reduction of symptoms, Skin wounds: shorten healing by 10 days.

7.    Battle degenerative disease.  Alzheimer’s: 40% lower risk; Arthritis: 46% lower risk, Osteoporosis: 0% loss of bone density.

Listed are seven things you will have accomplished once you make this a routine part of your day.  Just half an hour of walking each day at a brisk pace of 3.5 mph will help you achieve these benefits, regardless of your age. Bone density is improved by any weight bearing exercise, and what could be better than walking?

Who can’t spare 30 minutes per day?  You could even do it on your lunch hour, before work, or after work.  If you aren’t already doing so, try it!  Walking is also a great way to relieve stress.  If you want to get really serious, get a pedometer.  An average of 10,000 steps per day will help you lose weight.  (Just don’t get into the candy after your walk!)

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Once again, domestic violence is in the spotlight.  It seems that when it happens to famous celebrities, the world plays closer attention.  Then, other celebrities tell of their experiences and how they got out of their abusive situations.  If women were wise, they would listen to them and do everything they can to get away from someone who is battering or abusing them.

Here are some horrible statistics from the American Institute of Domestic Violence:

  • Homicide is the leading cause of death for women in the workplace
  • 85% to 95% of victims of abuse are women
  • Women are more likely to be attacked by someone they know than by a stranger
  • 500,000 women are stalked by an intimate partner
  • 5.3 billion women are abused
  • Of these, 4.1 billion victims require direct medical care and mental health care

According to the FBI, a woman is beaten every 15 seconds.  We live in a very violent world.  From teen dating violence to elder abuse, the scope is widening more and more.

There seems to be a vicious cycle:  boys who witness their fathers abuse their mothers are three times more likely to abuse their wives.  Many victims never report their abuse for fear of repercussions.  Domestic elder abuse is probably the most underreported crime. Almost 90% of elder abuse and negligence is done by family members.  Two/thirds of these “caregivers” are adult children or spouses.

Federal and state laws require that students be safe and protected at school.  Teen dating violence occurs often at school, whether it is pushing, shoving, or slapping a girlfriend/boyfriend.  This can escalate into further aggression; therefore, schools must do everything they can to educate students, teachers, administrators and school boards on the impacts of teen dating violence.  Programs that encourage self-esteem, healthy relationships and explain gender stereotypes can be very productive.
Law enforcement, domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers all form partnerships to promote health safety and public awareness.  Communities and media should be educated and make all efforts to expose violent behavior and prevent it.

If you are in danger, get to a safer computer or call 911, your local hotline, U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 and TTY 1-800-787-3224. If you know of someone who needs assistance, urge them to get help.

Source:
Los Angeles Committee on Assaults Against Women (LACAAW)
American Institute of Domestic Violence

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK

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For the 10th consecutive year, the National Museum of Health and Medicine will host a Brain Awareness Week program for middle school students. BAW will occur the week of March 16 (Monday) through March 22 (Sunday), 2009. The program consists of presentations and hands-on activities. Schools may choose one of the two 2-hour sessions offered each day. Each session will start with a 20-30 minute session that will feature a lecturer who will provide introductory information on the brain and its functions. Following the session, students are divided into small groups and sent to visit each station as a group. Students will spend 15 to 20 minutes at each station. The presentations are the same for each session since a new set of students show up at each session. NMHM and the partners try to make the lectures and stations educational, as well as a lot of fun for both the students and the presenters. BAW is usually very exciting and lots of fun for everyone.

This is an international effort to advance public awareness about the benefits of brain research.  Scientists step out of their labs to participate in introducing youngsters to the world of neuroscience.  This endeavor was organized by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives and is joined by government agencies, professional groups, National Institutes of Health, service groups, hospitals and Universities.

Programs to be presented during this week are:

  • “Night of the Living Brain”, by the NINDS. Students learn the need for sleep, and are later tested on their knowledge of sleep disorders.
  • “Complexity of the Brain”, by the National Institute on Aging, which provides students with ways to maintain healthy brains throughout life.
  • “Simulated Party”, where students attend a “simulated party” to learn about the physical and societal harms of alcohol and drug abuse.  After discussing the risks, “party-goers” try to navigate an obstacle course or hit balloons while wearing Fatal Vision prism goggles that simulate impaired visual and motor performance, resulting from excessive drug or alcohol abuse. This session is presented by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
  • “The Drunken Brain”, The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s multi-sensory exhibit, which displays bright-colored lights and pulsating, eerie sounds.  A neuroscientist explains why movement, sensory perception, and balance are compromised, and which brain circuits are involved in alcohol dependence and alcoholism.
  • The National Institute of Mental Health presents “Wonders of the Brain”.  Young scientists from the NIMH Intramural Research Division explain how the mind plays tricks with images it sees.

There are many summer programs such as the Georgia State University’s “Brain Camp”, where middle school students and their Institute on Neuroscience (ION) for high school students get to work in a lab, and The University of Minnesota’s Department of Neuroscience, which hosts a summer workshop for middle school teachers and disperses fact sheets at the State Fair, and visits K-12 classes.

Students who are fortunate to live in cities where this program is given would be very lucky to get to participate.  There will always be a demand for scientists to research and discover ways to prevent brain disorders that cause heartbreak for families of those who suffer them.
Think about it: one of our little “brainiacs” may just be the genius that figures out how to prevent us from certain diseases.  Take advantage of the opportunities that are out there for our future scientists.

Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Uncategorized

PROS AND CONS OF DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME

For those who are affected by the time change March 8th, we hope you are used to it by now.  There are pro’s and con’s of the merits of this rule that certain states follow, but one can’t help but wonder if it is really worth all the trouble.

Maybe it’s a Catch-22, because research has shown that traffic fatalities are reduced when there is more afternoon light; however, the early morning darkness brings more danger for workers commuting to work, and children walking to catch the school bus in the dark.  Then, when the time changes again in November, statistics show an increase in evening traffic accidents immediately following the change.

A study done by the National Sleep Foundation showed that immediately following the time change in the spring:

  • 40% of adults were sleepy enough that it interfered with their daily activities,
  • 62% drove while drowsy,
  • 27% dozed off (if only for a few seconds) while driving,
  • 18% experienced sleepiness at least a few days per week, and
  • 32% know someone who had an accident by falling asleep at the wheel.

Time change also brings disruptions to meetings, travel, billing systems, records management, which can be very costly.  Some computer systems automatically change over; however, there are many that don’t.

Those favoring Daylight Savings Time enjoy sporting activities after working hours, and retail businesses love it because it gives them the opportunity to remain open in order for folks to shop after work.  Farmers who rise before dawn and depend on working by sunlight may not be as happy with Daylight Savings Time.  During harvesting of grain, for example, they must wait until the dew evaporates, leaving less time for their helpers to do their job.

Other businesses that are affected negatively are evening entertainment providers, such as theaters, drive-in theaters, and primetime broadcast networks.

It was predicted that there would be a reduction in power usage with days having more sunlight, but it has been shown that power usage increased in the early morning hours, as people must get up in the dark and prepare for their day.

Some of us take the change in stride, and never worry about the difference an hour makes. (After all, we get it back in the fall.)  The main thing is that we adapt and be thankful we are able to carry on, and have the freedom to complain about things we don’t like.  Stay safe, and make the most of that extra hour of daylight!

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

SELF CONTROL

During these economic downtimes, it seems that everything is out of control.  People are losing their jobs, their homes, and facing dilemmas they never imagined could happen.

Thousands are out of work, and don’t know which way to turn.  For those who are fortunate enough to have a job and/or home, self-control should be practiced.

As children, we lived in the present.  But even children are taught that if they control their temper, and are polite, they are usually rewarded for good behavior.  As adults, will power rules our actions.  Whether it is in regard to food, alcohol, shopping, or entertainment, we should exhibit control.
In our employment, we should always make good decisions.  There are times when it is best to keep our opinions to ourselves.  It may take a lot of self-control to do so, but in the long run, it may pay off.  Persons that have high conscientiousness are capable and effective at managing problems.  They are not as likely to act impulsively, but are deliberate, careful thinkers.

Answers to finding ways to manage impulsive actions and lack of self-control may be found by:

  • Exercise, twenty minutes a day can do wonders.  Try talking a walk during your lunch break.
  • Meditation
  • Counseling
  • Counting to ten before making a rash decision that you may regret
  • Talk to family members or friends
  • Sleep on it.  You may look at the problem in a completely different way after a good night’s rest.
  • Always remember there are two sides to every story.
  • Try to focus on something different
  • Patience

Every worker deserves to have a safe work environment.  Times are tough, and people are stressed over the possibility of losing their job, or having their hours cut back.  This is no time for safety to take a back seat.  Don’t act on impulse, without thinking things through.

Life hands us all kinds of obstacles that we must try to overcome by using all the self-control and will power we have.

The cyclone derives its powers from a calm center – so does a person. ~ Norman Vincent Peale

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

MARCHING IN LIKE A LION

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It’s hard to believe that the month of March is here!  What happened to January and February?  Much activity is blowing in the winds of March, such as the end of Mardi Gras, which started February 3rd and ends March 9th.  March is American Red Cross month, as well as Women’s History Month.  The “Ides of March” is on the 15th, referring to the assassination of Julius Caesar.

Be sure to wear green on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day!  March’ birthstones are the aquamarine and bloodstone (courage).  Also, be sure to mark on your calendar: Daylight Savings Time begins Sunday, March 8th.

One big March activity for college students and basketball fans alike is March Madness!   In the world of basketball, the single-elimination playoffs began in 1939, featuring eight teams.  Now, a total of 65 men’s teams vie for the Men’s Division I NCAA championship.  Women’s Division I NCAA Basketball playoffs began in 1981, and feature 64 teams doing their very best to reach the Final Four.  Following their respective men’s and women’s conference tournaments, games are played throughout the United States, beginning with regional tournaments, which bring much entertainment and excitement to sports fans.

Spring officially starts March 20; however, sometime during the month of March, college students from all over the U.S. take their annual Spring Break.  We want to focus on the health and safety of our students by passing along some tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  There are safe and fun ways to enjoy spring break without taking risks that may affect the rest of the school year, or for that matter, the rest of their life.

Most young people think that they are immortal; but in the first three decades of their lives, more Americans are killed by unintentional injuries than any other cause.  So, please, keep these suggestions from CDC in mind:

  • Be prepared for trips you plan to take, know what vaccinations you need if going abroad.
  • If you are around water, know how to swim.
  • When boating, wear a life jacket.
  • Avoid too much sun.  Use plenty of sunscreen, (at least UV15), and wear wraparound sunglasses.
  • Limit alcohol intake.  To have a memorable spring break, don’t drink too much, so you do remember what you did!
  • Don’t drink and drive.
  • Think about doing something different this year, such as volunteering.
  • Start a fitness program if you aren’t already getting enough exercise.  Jogging, walking, playing volleyball or other activities are fun and don’t cost a thing.
  • Get a baseball team or soccer team together.
  • Avoid situations where you could be harmed.  Stay with people that you know.

Finally, we hope everyone enjoys the month of March.  Spring is just around the corner, and we all will start to get outdoors more, whether it’s gardening, playing golf, or working in the yard.  Enjoy the warmer weather and always keep safety in mind!